“Where shall I put the golf clubs?” became a pressing question for the world’s super-rich about five years ago, when high-end property developers first added swanky garages to the list of must-have extras. Today, agents from London, Paris, New York, Los Angeles and Singapore juggle particulars of ever more gaudy “super-garages”, designed to display and show off cars rather than merely protect them from the elements.
The trend owes most to the growing appeal of supercars to the super wealthy, which, even when not being driven, must be shown off. “These are pieces of art, treated like the architecture to enhance the aesthetic of a home,” says Billy Rose, of real estate brokerage The Agency in Los Angeles.
Car fleets are expanding, says Paul Finnegan of Savills UK’s country division. In St George’s Hill and Wentworth, north Surrey’s dacha-mansion inhabitants typically have at least three vehicles: a sports car — most likely a Ferrari, Porsche or Aston Martin — a Bentley and one of the latest Range Rovers, together worth £500,000. In Los Angeles, that is abstinence. “Here it’s more like a watch collection: you will have several sports cars and several SUVs, driving out the one that fits your mood for the day,” says Rose.